“Twelfth night” was the name given to the last day of the Elizabethan Christmas festivities; they were celebrated everywhere at the time. In the Christian calendar, “Twelfth Night” is known as feast of Epiphany. It is the remembrance of the three kings that came to the stable in Bethlehem with their gifts of gold and other valuables for the birth of Jesus. “Twelfth Night” was sometimes given the title “Malvolio” when it was performed or “what you will”. This is because Shakespeare had turned a character into a memorable individual. The Elizabethan audience at the tame was interested in the depiction of Malvolio as a Puritan. The puritans were a religious group who hated theatres and other forms of entertainment that made people happy. The reason as to why Puritans hated these things is because they thought it corrupted people. The puritans believed they contained sex and violence, the causes of sin. This is why Puritans at the time didn’t drink and were strict on how other people around them should behave (this is mostly seen when Malvolio speaks to Sir Toby and the others.) Thus he has all the characteristics which the Elizabethan audience would hate at the time. There is little sympathy for him in the play, even when cruel things are being done to him, as he much deserved it. At the end of the play, Malvolio makes a final threat of “revenge”; this could be a reference to how the puritans closed down the theatres in 1642. I will explore the character of Malvolio before ending to conclude my thoughts on the question.
The character Malvolio is always negative and has a disagreeable nature which carries on throughout the play leading to his downfall and mockery which, in my opinion was deserved due t...
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...ative features he holds. I don’t think Malvolio is a bad person, in my opinion it would seem that he is miss-understood. Malvolio is a devoted servant of the household, he is a very good butler and extremely loyal to Olivia. The other people in the play such as Sir Toby despise him merely on the fact that he destroys other people’s fun. Sir Toby and the others think of Malvolio as a spoilt sport, and a villain because of his puritan nature and vain personality. Malvolio only wishes to be taken seriously and looked upon as a respectable figure. Unfortunately he does not accomplish his goals and is then subjected to the cruel pranks he faces at the end of the play. I believe that Malvolio is both a solid efficient steward with practical good sense and a Puritan outsider who threatens the world of others however; he is more of a Puritan outsider than a good steward.
.However,as the play progresses,it becomes noticeable that Benvolio has changed through his character and makes different choices to help his friends,but as the same time deceives them.The text states that,”O noble Prince,I can discover all The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl.There lies the man,slain by young Romeo,That slew thy kinsman,brave Mercutio.”(3.1 144-147) Shakespeare forms him to be a leader when situations are not the best between the Capulets and the Montagues;he portrayed beginning when the “civil brawls”(1.1 92) first started breaking out in the streets.
In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Malvolio is considered an outcast by almost everyone in the play. He doesn’t act the same way that any of the other characters act, in that he doesn’t participate in any of their activities, he enforces rules that the others could care less about, and he is just overall a socially awkward guy. Malvolio not only claims to adhere to the rules of the household himself, but uses his relations with Olivia to try and help make the others follow the rules as well. This upsets certain characters more than others. For instance Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria find his behavior particularly detestable. But Malvolio’s strict coherence to the rules allows him to have a rather high position in Olivia’s household. While Malvolio may be considered a social outcast to most of the characters in the play, Olivia considers Malvolio to be a very trusted steward of her household. For these reasons Malvolio is not only a social outcast, but an outcast that Shakespeare uses to keep people interested in his play.
The theatre metaphor also helps to explain why, in the last analysis, Prospero has to surrender his magical powers. Life cannot be lived out in the world of illusions, delightful and educative as they can often be. Life must be lived in the real world, in Milan or in Naples, and Miranda cannot thus entirely fulfill herself on the island. The realities of life must be encountered and dealt with as best we can. The world of the theatre can remind us of things we may too easily forget; it can liberate and encourage youthful wonder and excitement at all the diverse richness of life; it can, at times, even wake people up to more important issues than their own Machiavellian urge to self-aggrandizement, and, most important of all, it can educate us into forgiveness. But it can never finally solve the problem of evil, and it can never provide an acceptable environment for a fully realized adult life.
Twelfth Night” or “What You Will” is one of Shakespeare’s many comedic plays. This essay will attempt to critically analyse a passage in Act 1, Scene 5 of “Twelfth Night.” The passage centres on a conversation primarily between Feste and Olivia about the mourning of her brother. This conversation adds comicality to the play, which contributes to the shape of it as a whole. The passage also briefly involves the character, Malvolio, who contributes to an underlining truth in the play. This essay will explain the meaning of the passage, attempt to unpack the language uses and determine the ideas behind the language. It will then try to justify why and how those ideas in the passage contribute to the play as a whole.
The antagonist of Twelfth Night is Sir Toby Belch because he tries to control Olivia’s life. Even though some may consider him a partier and jokester, he is also kind of a jerk. First he takes advantage of his nieces and Sir Andrew’s wealth. Sir Toby also wants Olivia to marry Sir Andrew so he can have more money for himself. He seeks revenge upon Malvolio by writing a phony love letter convincing Malvolio to perform hideous acts for Olivia’s love. Sir Toby knows Olivia will not put up with such acts and Malvolio was sent to the dark room for his insanity.
Shakespeare cunningly gives the audience an early indication of Benvolio’s personality through his name. Benvolio translated literally means “good-will” or “well wisher” a role he consistently fills, although sometimes unsuccessfully throughout the play, striving to keep himself and others around him out of any conflict. In the very first scene of the play, Benvolio quickly establishes himself as the peacemaker as he tries to stop the fight between the Montague and Capulet servants by saying, “Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do.”(I.i.64-65) Wanting peace he warns them to stop arguing before things evolve into a grave situation. In that statement, Shakespeare references the Gospel of Luke “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), using his skillful use of the written language to allude that Benvolio was taking on a Christ like peacemaker role in the play. Benvolio’s moral convictions do not change over the course of the play. His stance on peace is evident in all three scenes. In Act III, as Mercutio and Tybalt begin to fight, Benvolio once again attempts to be the voice of reason, “We talk here in the public haunt of mean: eithe...
something that he would not notice or be able to get out of if he did
Shakespeare’s Othello consists of the themes betrayal, love and dishonesty. At the centre of this play is the tragic downfall of Othello at the hands of his so called friend Iago. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for and against Othello being responsible for his downfall through looking at critical interpretations of his character and actions.
The main theme of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is identity. Identity causes very much confusion and pain in the play and when true identity is found happiness reigns. Identity is a very important part of the play a character who struggles most with identity is Malvolio. Malvolio is the steward of Olivia and struggles greatly with identity throughout the play. His great egotism and ambition lead him to fall victim to a prank which leads him to question his identity. In the end he finds his place and is led back to where he started. In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night the main theme of identity is portrayed quite well in the character Malvolio as he struggles with finding his position in the world.
Malvolio's entrance to the scene immediately creates comedy as even before he finds the letter we find him fantasizing about being "Count Malvolio", this notion creates humor as it seems that Malvolio has forgot he is merely Olivia's steward not her social equal despite his is conceited self-righteousness. The farce is enhanced by comments made by the onlookers who insult Malvolio, "Pistol him, pistol him!" Sir Andrew makes this comment, as he himself desires Olivia's hand in marriage. Malvolio lets his imagination go wild creating further humor when he imagines that his "kinsman Toby" will approach and curtsy in front of him.
Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Nights as a comedic play on how the theme of love takes an overwhelming influence over characters actions. The play’s treatment of love began with a Duke named Orsino who is madly in love with a character named Olivia but Orsino love is cannot be reciprocated because all her love remains with her dead brother. Later in the play Shakespeare treats love as something that can be a joyful delight regardless of the reality. Olivia’s handmaiden, Maria, plays a prank on Malvolio by forging Olivia’s hand writing to write Malvolio a love letter. After Malvolio reads the letter he begins to show how Malvolio is desperately in love with Olivia by following the letters ridiculous commands with delight. Then towards the end there is an encounter with Viola, Sebastian, Orsino, Olivia and Malvolio. At this point Shakespeare displays love as a joyful
Twelfth Night is a play written by William Shakespeare and illustrates themes of love and truth. In Shakespeare’s playwright of “Twelfth Night”, characters imply truths to show their love. Many characters love differently and give subtle hints to show their love. Malvolio &Olivia, Sir Andrew & Olivia, and Viola & Duke Orsino are all characters who imply their love, for their significant other. To be completely mad is never possible when you have the wits to stay out of trouble.
In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare portrays several characters in a controversial way. Some witty characters are portrayed as foolish, and some foolish characters are portrayed as witty. In the beginning of the play, Sir Andrew and Malvolio are presented as smart people; however, as the play progresses, the audience is exposed to their foolish sides. On the other hand, Sir Toby and Feste are portrayed as fools, but as the plot develops the audience acknowledges their wisdom. Malvolio and Sir Andrew’s foolish sides are exposed because of their gullible nature, while Feste and Sir Toby’s wisdom is revealed through their insightful remarks and brilliant prank ideas.
Mistaken identity and disguise are important aspects of comedy in Twelfth Night that stand at the forefront of the play’s comedy. Not only are mistaken identities and disguise evident within the main plot of the play but also in various other situations. Sexual confusion amongst characters, subversion of gender roles and farcical elements through stagecraft all effectively contribute to the dramatic comedy genre. However, it can be suggested that certain elements of Twelfth Night are not interpreted to be purely comedic; Shakespeare has incorporated serious and controversial subjects such as the idea of genuine love, the patriarchy of the time and the cruel gulling of Malvolio. Therefore, disguise and mistaken identity are not solely for the purpose of comedy and it could be inferred that it even borders on the genre of tragedy.
Twelfth Night or What You Will is one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies. It has been performed hundreds of times and adapted into a number of modern films. The main plot of the play follows Viola, a girl who is rescued from a shipwreck and enters into the service of the Duke Orsino disguised as a man. Rising quickly in his estimation, Viola begins delivering messages of love on his behalf to Olivia, a noble woman who has no interest in Orsino’s advances. Over the course of the play Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola, Viola falls in love with Orsino, and Viola’s twin brother Sebastian, who supposedly died in the shipwreck, returns. Following Sebastian’s return the twins are mistaken for each other, leading to both misunderstanding and marriage in the final scenes of the play. Alongside the main plot of Twelfth Night is an almost equally prominent subplot involving Malvolio, a servant of Olivia, who falls in love with her and who falls prey to a prank planned by the other members of the household who despise his abhorrence of fun. In the article “The Design of Twelfth Night” by L.G. Salingar, Salingar examines the plot and structure of the play and addresses the significance of the subplot. The purpose of this essay is to examine both evidence from the play and articles from other authors, with a focus on Salingar, who have written on the subject in order to determine the purpose of the subplot. In his article, Salingar comes to the conclusion that the purpose of the subplot is to provide a comic mirror of the main plot while amplifying the main themes of delusion, misrule and festivity. Salingar presents a solid argument, however he has neglected another lesser but significant element of the sub-plot which illustrate...